Review: 12/28/13 Reflection

[camarodrivenrs]

We just got back from our winter vacation. We’ve been planning this trip for almost the entire year. I’ll post my review of the Celebrity Reflection here and will also provide a link at the end to my review of the Ruby Princess.

A quick background on us, I’m Brett and my girlfriend is Hannah and we are both engineering students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in our 20’s. We both work hard all summer at our internships so we can escape the terrible Alaskan winter. The Ruby Princess cruise following the Reflection cruise was a complete surprise to Hannah who thought we were flying out of Fort Lauderdale after the cruise.

We flew into Tampa International a day early and rented a car to do some sightseeing, eventually ending up in Miami. I’m originally from Sarasota, FL and thought it be nice to show Hannah around a bit. We cruised out of Tampa last year so driving over the Skyway Bridge was definitely cool for her. We took SR 70 across the state and headed south on A1A. We stayed in the Conrad Miami which we got a nice price on through Hotwire. The hotel was very nice and even had snow falling in their bar every half hour. We ate at Vapiano right across the street which was really fun then had a few drinks in the hotel bar which provided nice views of Miami from the 25th floor. We called it a relatively early night though, because we had flown all night, explored all day, and were really excited to get aboard the Reflection as this would be our first time on Celebrity as well as our first New Year’s cruise.

We arrived at the port around 11:30 am, check in was very quick and we were onboard around noon. The Reflection was very impressive as we walked around for the first time. The ship was spotless and we didn’t find a space we didn’t like. We were given 7143 and the room was fine and our steward and his assistant were great. We continued exploring the ship and made our Qsine reservation until around 1:00 pm when the announcement came that our staterooms were ready. We did upgrade to the premium drink package and our booking also came with $350 OBC and a specialty dining gift. At the end getting off was pretty painless and the lines at customs are no fault of Celebrity. I’ll break the review up into sections from here.

The Ship and Crew

We found the Reflection to be in incredible condition. The layout was great and it was very easy to find our way around. I’m a big fan of Grand class ships but thought the Reflection’s design really showed how cruise ship design has changed since the late 90’s when the Grand class was introduced. I’m not sure how many people were on the ship for this cruise, but according to various bartenders it was well above double occupancy capacity and the ship seemed to handle the load fairly well. One drawback to the layout of the ship was the location of the Solarium made it a major walkway for traffic moving to and from the rest of deck 14. We also missed having an aft pool, but thought the ability to lay about the lawn made up for this. There were a lot of children onboard, many large families, and a large group or two. The children and large groups were a bit overwhelming at times. Numerous times we encountered children sitting at bars at night with their parents, which was a bit annoying. We both thought the crew could have been a bit stricter in enforcing rules. Multiple times we saw children crawling around and chasing each other around the buffet and dining room. The staff and captain were very visible during the cruise, the captain even sat with us and chatted for a few minutes one evening while we were enjoying a martini in the Martini Lounge.

The Food

We opted for 2nd seating dining and found the food to be great. Quite a few steps above the food we ate during our Carnival cruise last year. Our waiter, assistant, and sommelier were great. Food came in a timely manner each night even though on a couple of nights our waiter, Jose, had a large table come about an hour late. Our wine glasses were never empty during dinner. We thought the dining room food was slightly better on the Reflection than what we found on the Ruby Princess the following week. We ate at Qsine which was a lot of fun, the food was great, and the service was fantastic. We thought the buffets were good, but didn’t really change from day to day. The buffets never seemed to be fully open when the largest crowds were looking for food, especially during port days around all aboard times. Room service for breakfast was always on time and the steak and eggs were great.

The Bars

We booked during the 123Go promotion and upgraded to the premium package which proved to be a smart decision because we really enjoyed the molecular bar and the bartenders that worked there. We managed to try every drink at least once and only disliked the one with raw egg whites in it. Even with the large number of people onboard we rarely had to wait for drinks except at the Martini Bar at night, but that is expected at any popular venue or it wouldn’t be considered popular. The only problem with the bars, as mentioned earlier, was we encountered children sitting with and without their parents and never saw any staff telling them to leave. Not only do they take up seats and space that people actually consuming beverages could use, but when a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds are yelling at each other and fiddling it kind of ruins the atmosphere.

Entertainment and Music

We had heard all about the loud rap music before we booked Celebrity, I failed to hear any real rap music, hearing mostly popular pop and hip hop. The shows and comedy were far better than what we found on Ruby Princess the following week. We did find at times the music was either too loud or the wrong genre. For example laying out on the lawn really doesn’t require loud pop music. Some relaxing island music would have been much better. We thought the singers and DJs were fine the majority of the time. The only other problem we saw with music was when Zumba was moved to inside to the main atrium area. Not the best substitute to a windy deck.

Overall, we were happy with our Celebrity Reflection cruise. I did find that I don’t really agree with the people who say Celebrity and Princess are more alike than different. We both thought Celebrity was definitely aiming at a different group of people than what Princess was aiming at. I think before we pass any final judgment on Celebrity we should do a non-holiday sailing for sure, because the atmosphere might be completely different.

Would we cruise Celebrity again? Absolutely

Would we cruise the Reflection again? Of course

Would we take a holiday cruise again? Never, one and done for us, we’ve experienced the balloon drop and don’t need to again.

Any questions feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.

 

Ruby Princess Review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1969057

Edited January 10, 2014 by camarodrivenrs
date wrong in title

[Miss JAD]

Thank you for your great review! I sail on the reflection in 1 month!

[wpgcycler]

Very well thought out and organized review. Thank you!

[sabookkeeper]

Thank you for your review. We will be on the Reflection at the end of the month.

 

It is unfortunate that the staff didn't ask the children to leave the bars. Unfortunately it is not the children's fault, the parents should know better.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Excellent review. We were on the same cruise and your review is spot on. Thanks for the great job posting

[fhp123]

Is the muster drill on the Reflection done on deck or inside? With life jackets?

[Wine-O]

Is the muster drill on the Reflection done on deck or inside? With life jackets?

 

Inside at one of the lounges/restaurants, and no life jackets.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[drarill]

I did find that I don’t really agree with the people who say Celebrity and Princess are more alike than different. We both thought Celebrity was definitely aiming at a different group of people than what Princess was aiming at. I think before we pass any final judgment on Celebrity we should do a non-holiday sailing for sure, because the atmosphere might be completely different.

Would we cruise Celebrity again? Absolutely

Would we cruise the Reflection again? Of course

Would we take a holiday cruise again? Never, one and done for us, we’ve experienced the balloon drop and don’t need to again.

Any questions feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.

 

Ruby Princess Review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1969057

 

Excellent review!!! We sail on the Reflection this summer!! We usually cruise with RCCL, Celebrity and Disney, never tried Princess. I will like to read your opinion about the groups that both lines are aiming to. :):)

[Phxazzcruisers]

Is the muster drill on the Reflection done on deck or inside? With life jackets?

 

As Wine-O said, inside, no life jackets. It is now a very well produced video that everyone just stands, or sits, around and watched. Then a crew member demonstrates the life vest, the the Captain says a little and dismisses everyone. Very painless

[AttilaTheFun]

Thank you for the review, very helpful! I have sailed the Ruby Princess as well, so will have to read your other review and see what you though :)

[Feelin' Nauti']

 

Entertainment and Music

We had heard all about the loud rap music before we booked Celebrity, I failed to hear any real rap music, hearing mostly popular pop and hip hop. The shows and comedy were far better than what we found on Ruby Princess the following week. We did find at times the music was either too loud or the wrong genre. For example laying out on the lawn really doesn’t require loud pop music. Some relaxing island music would have been much better. We thought the singers and DJs were fine the majority of the time. The only other problem we saw with music was when Zumba was moved to inside to the main atrium area.

Interesting you found the entertainment on board the Reflection better.

Good to hear.

We like Princess due to their array of entertainment.

On the Summit we found entertainment to extremely limited. :cool:

[camarodrivenrs]

Interesting you found the entertainment on board the Reflection better.

Good to hear.

We like Princess due to their array of entertainment.

On the Summit we found entertainment to extremely limited. :cool:

 

I thought the live performers on the Reflection were better than those onboard Ruby Princess. I did enjoy the fact that island music was played about half the time onboard the Ruby.

[camarodrivenrs]

Excellent review!!! We sail on the Reflection this summer!! We usually cruise with RCCL, Celebrity and Disney, never tried Princess. I will like to read your opinion about the groups that both lines are aiming to. :):)

 

We both felt that Celebrity is aiming to attract customers that you would find in any major city at popular night clubs, bars, and restaurants. Princess is much more traditional with their offerings and is a bit behind whats popular in major cities. Gastronomy and mixology are increasingly important at venues in major cities and likewise they are present onboard Celebrity.

 

Celebrity's aim did show during our cruise. I've never seen such a fashionable and attractive crowd aboard a cruise ship. The gym was packed every day and it seemed to be a very health conscious crowd. I don't know if that was a result of it being New Year's or not.

[NLH Arizona]

Even with the large number of people onboard we rarely had to wait for drinks except at the Martini Bar at night, but that is expected at any popular venue or it wouldn’t be considered popular.

 

Entertainment and Music

We had heard all about the loud rap music before we booked Celebrity, I failed to hear any real rap music, hearing mostly popular pop and hip hop.

Thank you for bring up two points in your review. Some have said that they had to wait long times for a drink at the bars, seems like you didn't experience that much except for the Martini Bar at night.

 

Also, I've never heard rap music on Celebrity, I think that many mistakenly think that hip hop is rap and it is not.

[aSiAnRiCk]

Thank you for the review. I'm looking forward to my first X cruise with her next month.

[dodger1964]

... We both work hard all summer at our internships so we can escape the terrible Alaskan winter..[/p?t=1969057[/url]

 

we split time between anchor point Alaska and Iowa. This last week it was 30 degrees warmer in anchor point than in Iowa. And I think one night it was closer to 50 degrees warmer (we had 25 below last week!! So not sure how sorry I feel for you when you are inside. (don't know how to do smilley face from my iPad..those icons don't show up like on laptop)

 

Thanks for review. We're on reflection in march and looking forward to trip. Been to same ports many times, but still have great time going back.

Edited January 12, 2014 by dodger1964

[20pluscruises]

Wasn't the Captains family on this cruise? I would expect nothing but the best service

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[F5Loar]

Wasn't the Captains family on this cruise? I would expect nothing but the best service

Yes we saw the Captain's family eating in the main DR 2nd seating and also the entire CEO of Celebrity's family too that sat right beside us. They came to enjoy a cruise in first class treatment and they got it however none of them stayed in the Penthouses. I asked why and was told the CEO would rather have a paying passenger in those suites.

[20pluscruises]

Yes we saw the Captain's family eating in the main DR 2nd seating and also the entire CEO of Celebrity's family too that sat right beside us. They came to enjoy a cruise in first class treatment and they got it however none of them stayed in the Penthouses. I asked why and was told the CEO would rather have a paying passenger in those suites.

 

Were they also on the Christmas cruise? Maybe a B2B? Some age 30 - 40 with babies and/or under age 2?

Edited January 12, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[vanvleckeren]

Thanks for the review. I'm going on the Reflection in May so it was very helpful.

 

Interesting comparison between Celebrity and Princess. I've not sailed either line, but what you say confirms what I've heard. I've been one of those "gym rats" on past cruises so maybe I'll fit well with the crowd on Celebrity. I have no desire to cruise with a bunch of stuffy old rich people. I'm 51 and reasonably well off. I like things upscale but light and fun. I can out-snob most people if I have to, but I'd rather not. I think Celebrity will be a good fit.

 

I was particularly glad to hear the food was great. I'm not inclined toward specialty dining that costs extra. I'm traveling with 10 people of widely varying means, so using the MDR will be the best option. My concern has always been that the "free" food would deteriorate as cruise lines depended more on revenue from specialty restaurants.